Question On "summoning Spirits", ...Konstantinos' book Options

This is a quick question, it has been on my mind for ages since reading Konstantinos' book "Summoning Spirits".

I've read the section on the useful entities to evoke, and have come across a few which can teach abilities such as the control of the physical manifestion of an element (i.e. Aral, Chassan etc).

Now I've learnt alot and usually take things with an open mind. I've attempted psionics with little luck, but do believe in the ability to manipulate physical items with your mind. Obviously this is actually using such an element rather then psychokinesis (or pyrokinesis, whichever you decided to call it). But is that to say that after practice with these spirits and the abilities they teach that one will soon be shooting fireballs out of their hands or controlling storms?

Being only new to this I find this hard to believe, not to say that it isn't true, I've learnt alot over the last year that I would have never believed. Obviously anyone with this ability would not run around shooting fireballs at random or in public, but has anyone heard of such an ability? That is assuming that it is true. I may be looking into this too deeply and by thinking that ability to control the physical manifestation of Elemental Fire means shooting fireballs while it may only mean make candles dance rather then being able to create fire.

One other question. While I am a long way off an actual evocation of a spirit, I just wish to know how lessons are taught to a magician via a spirit. Is it as simple as just listening to the spirit and writing notes or does the spirit just give you the ability or a word of power etc (the last one is just a joke i'm guessing it was the first one (IMG:style_emoticons/default/13.gif) ).

Do many magicians look to achieving such abilities or are a majority just after the blessings of the spirits and the charging of sigils/talismans etc?

If anyone has any experiences where they have learnt an ability like this or another (telepathy, healing etc) and are allowed to speak about it then it would be great to hear!

Thanks in advance.
~Dgd

Greetings Dgd!

Wow, twenty questions!
'shooting fireballs' isn't going to happen...not without hard work and traing! IMHO, when you ask for knowledge from an spirit you can receive images pertaining to the request forming in ones mind and/or you will find yourself being 'led' to various means to accomplish your request...ie a certain book, a social situation or even a creative flow) This can be acquired without any demonic evocation, btw!

I've been 'given' a number of times, a word of power but most often I get an inspiration or a creative flow. Psychic abilities do tend to become enhanced with dealing with the spiriytual realms. Your experience may come to you in ways similar to other people or, as you are unique, you will find your own path. I'd be wary if a spirit offers you magnificent abilities...there is usually a catch. (paranoid little me)
You get nothing for nothing and all too frequently you get crap. Magic is hard work but can be highly rewarding! Sometimes serendipity is the name of the day! Magic can be hilarious at times! (Gods! I'm sounding like an infomercial) I'm done...for now *grin* Good luck!

PS Start with the basics and build from there. Learn how to meditate, how to breathe, become aware of yourself... Read up on Bardons Initiation into Hermetics...he has many good, solid ideas. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blablabla.gif)

Quite a few magicians practice magic to further themselves, to gain wealth or knowledge and for power. I'm in it for knowledge...it has become my life.I live it, eat it, and breathe it! Yeah fanatics and obsessions! LOL!

Lol thanks for thequick reply Bym!

I sometimes get carried away asking questions. One leads onto another...

Like I mentioned, I'm no where near ready for evocations. I've already started Bardon's book but have yet to try the excercises.

I guess I should experience the elements before I ask questions like these, so that I know what the limitations of them are (then I probably could have answered the fireball question myself (IMG:style_emoticons/default/13.gif) ).

I too am into magick for knowledge and to better devlop myself, or as it is with Ceremonial Magicians, "to reconnect with the divines and my higher self"...or something like that (IMG:style_emoticons/default/13.gif) . I am in this mainly for personal development but the history is so rich and interesting. When I say Devlop myself I mean devlop all my astral senses, pyschic abilities (telepathy, psychokinesis etc) as well as become more spiritually in tune with the archangels.

Anyway enough rambling!
Thanks for your reply, Bym, it was most informative (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) .

This post has been edited by dgd: Oct 24 2007, 09:54 PM

You can find a detailed ritual for the evocation of "Chassan" in the New Falcon Complete Golden Dawn System of Magic which is not the standard Regardie Golden Dawn book but covers most of the same material. I prefer the New Falcon edition for aesthetic purposes (like an old DeLaurence & Scot tome) but the content is decidedly more new-age. Also included are the rituals for Adept Major and the practical lectures through "Theoricus Adeptus Minor" which is further along in their system than the standard Golden Dawn book describes. There are many other aspect to the Golden Dawn system that might appeal to you if these spirits interest you, though I cannot personally vouch for the integrity of the current Golden Dawn organizations.

Crowley, for whom Regardie was secretary, writes in his "Notes on the Ritual of the Pentagram" that, among other things, a possible side-effect of the ritual is the generation of actual fire. Elsewhere in his elemental conjurations, he clearly states that all reference to strange effects of light and fire, or other elements, are to be understood as astral or visualized components, but his reference to actual fire from magical pentagrams is intriguing all the same.

I have known many people to conjure elementals. The physical is what "elementals" are all about! Real fire, real water, real wind and stone. There are virtues of each element that become part of other conjurations, but the real elemental magic is that which has its origins in the physical element itself. No matter what the reason, you must actually have the substance present to do elemental magic... conjuring fire elementals requires a flame, conjuring water elementals requires water. I'll give you a few examples of people who I've known.

One set a small fire in a nearby woodland. The fire was given substances to devour and special words were spoken to it as part of a larger ritual that had been previously devised. This was an area where the person had free roam undisturbed, and was well-known. Gifts of buttered bread and elderberry wine were regularly laid in the place as an offering to some sort of nature-spirits or deities. The small fire died away, and the person left. Later that day, not long after, a transformer exploded in the same forest, and the blaze spread to ignite propane storage, creating a much bigger fire.

A few people went down to a pond near the rail tracks to invoke water elementals. This was a place they had regularly visited, and had previously found a bubble-pipe and an old-fashioned tobacco pipe laying there together beside the pool. They invoked water elementals using Golden-Dawn rituals, to clean out the area (it was adjacent to a place bearing the name Stench Creek) and there were bubbles in the pond for no good reason. The bubbles subsided, and months later it was a quaint fountain-bearing park.

Another man conjured air elementals to destroy the Christian revival tent set up next to his home. As they denounced the local "black magicians," the wind hit the tent and toppled it. The revival ended, and the photos were hilarious.

I have personally witnessed a major landslide preceded by the invocation of earth elementals.

There are so many ways that people evoke spirits that I cannot say one answer for all in regard to instruction. Some give skill or apparent skill where in reality there is none, such as Beleth who will bring the admiration of others no matter how well or poorly you do the thing they so admire. Others give instantaneous knowledge, such as with the sounds of animals or with certain skills. Still others actually discourse (at length if put to the task) and you can indeed write things down though some are irritated by that. It is possible to arrange pacts with the spirits so that their powers, whatever those might be, are called into action at a specific later time through the use of sigils, gestures, words, or specific conditions as you please. These will always be confined to the limits of the spirit's power and your ability to gain the compliance of the spirit in its response to your dictates.

In the Red Dragon grimoire, the spirit makes changes to the terms to which the magician agrees... most of the changes given there make the ceremony less convenient (by the time) and make it less restrictive (it allows anyone to use it, not only the original magician). Others "ask for signs" of a specific nature to confirm acceptance of their terms.

Ultimately it's what you do that matters, not what "magicians" do. If you want to conjure fireballs, may you someday find the way! but there are also a lot of other useful and very real things that can be done with magic. Take them seriously, and give your work serious consideration. What would you do if you could shoot fireballs like the Gauntlet wizard? Yes it's cool, but how useful is it? On the other hand how useful are wildfires and wind-storms? Do experiment, expand the art, and enjoy it to the fullest... but be careful too.

Thank you for a very informative post.

The reason behind my asking of the above questions were mainly for information and curiosity. While throwing fireballs around would be cool, it is not what I aspire to. As I mentioned to in reply to Bym's post, pyschic development is what I'm interested in.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but from my understanding of your post, one may not necessarily gain control over the elements , rather they will be able to call upon elementals whenever they are needed which simulate the ability to control the elements (i.e. making a strong gust of wind blow a tent over (IMG:style_emoticons/default/13.gif) ). Is this what you were saying or am I mistaken? I wasn't sure if you meant control of the elements is possible or, as I just stated, working with the elementals may grant you the ability to call on an elemental without the use of a ritual?

Now I've made myself confused (IMG:style_emoticons/default/13.gif) .
I'm sure a great deal of knowledge awaits me on my path of psychic and healing abilities.
I thank you again for your post.
~Dgd

I sent you a PM how I found easy to control the weather.

You might get a kick out of this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_scRKbD4xw

Fun video. But while not wanting to wanting to burst anyone’s bubble, this video is not real or true. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/offtopic.gif)

Well the person does light a candle and I am not sure how, but it is one of two ways and neither involve magick as we would define it.

For an understanding of my position, note that an accelerant was used, it is not the wick that is producing a flame but the surface of the candle.

With candles wicks must have a much lower flash point then their bodies, so that the body (wax for lack of a better term) does not all of a sudden ignite.

Second, the jumping back, this would lead me to believe one of two things, he was not sure when it was going to happen (chemical reaction by mixing compounds) or is was lit by another, or automatic system.

In another video the same guy uses the cotton ball trick, one of my bio-chemistry teachers (was high school) did this better…but he loved doing magic tricks with chemistry. In essence you mix two chemicals that ignite when contact is made.

Here is one with cotton and superglue not my preferred method.

I am looking for another but not finding it.

There are much faster reactions, parlor magicians use it a lot, often the cotton ball is partially submerged with one liquid compound and then the other liquid is placed on top…as soon as it reaches the bottom compound it all lights up.

There are those few people that can really warm up an area in front of their hands. It has been explained in some fashion but still fascinating. Those people can get the candle to first start melting, then the wick to become an ember, and sometimes then light.